When Heidi Gerard’s kindergarten students began discussing primary sources and debating how to verify information, she saw firsthand what she had begun to suspect during her graduate studies: young learners are capable of more than many people realize.
As a graduate student in the literacy and reading education program at Cal State Fullerton and a kindergarten teacher, Gerard introduced her students to disciplinary literacy, an approach rooted in the idea that people in different fields think, communicate and make meaning in different ways.
“In science classes, history classes or math classes, we communicate information differently and make meaning differently,” Gerard said.
The concept first caught Gerard’s attention in a graduate course taught by Madeleine Mejia, associate professor of literacy and reading education. As she explored the research, she found extensive scholarship on disciplinary literacy in secondary schools and higher education, but much less focused on younger learners.
“There really isn’t very much research in lower elementary,” Gerard said.
Working under Mejia’s mentorship, Gerard turned that opportunity into a five-month research study in her own classroom. She examined how disciplinary literacy practices influenced kindergarten students’ engagement, historical thinking and academic language development.
What she found challenged common assumptions about young learners.
“I think what it really speaks to is the capability of young learners,” Gerard said. “In a time where critical thinking skills are often lacking but probably more necessary than ever, engaging young learners in those skills is crucial.”
Throughout the study, students explored historical artifacts, analyzed photographs and participated in collaborative discussions. Rather than simply learning about history, they practiced the habits of historians by investigating evidence and building meaning together.
One lesson focused on Indigenous communities in California. After studying a tule reed boat in the classroom, students later encountered a full-sized version during a visit to the Oakland Museum of California.
“They were able to make that connection,” Gerard said. “To see all of their knowledge transferred over the course of the study was really validating.”
The impact extended beyond classroom activities. Students began using terms such as “primary source” in everyday conversations, and parents reported hearing those discussions continue at home.
“I would say, ‘How do we know this is true?’ and they’d say, ‘Oh, we have to corroborate,’” Gerard said. “This isn’t just regurgitating fact. We’re making connections.”
In the summer, Gerard presented her findings at Cal State Fullerton’s Summer Symposium, sharing her research with fellow students, faculty and community members. The experience also strengthened her identity as a researcher.
“With research in general, mentorship is crucial,” Gerard said. “You also need to advocate for yourself and be willing to reach out to that mentor.”
As she continues her academic journey, Gerard hopes her research encourages educators to rethink what young learners can accomplish when given opportunities to investigate, question and think critically.
More broadly, she hopes students see research as something accessible to anyone with curiosity and a willingness to learn.
“Research isn’t reserved for a select group of people,” she said. “If you’re doing research, you’re a researcher.”
Gerard’s research was made possible by the Engaging Graduate Students in Research, Scholarly and Creative Activities program, which supports graduate student research and scholarship at Cal State Fullerton. EG-RSCA is administered by the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Center, a unit within the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, and is partially supported by a U.S. Department of Education capacity-building grant.